Dalbergia_melanoxylon - Guill. & Perr.

Common Name

African Blackwood, Grenadilla, Mpingo

Family

Fabaceae

USDA hardiness

10-12

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Grows under a wide range of conditions including semi-arid, subhumid and tropical lowland areas[ 303 ]. It is often found on dry, rocky sites but is most frequent in the mixed deciduous forests and savannahs of the coastal region[ 303 ].

Range

Africa - drier areas from Senegal to Ethiopia, south to S. Africa.

Edibility Rating

(0 of 5)

Other Uses

(5 of 5)

Weed Potential

Yes

Medicinal Rating

(2 of 5)

Care

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

https://botanicimage.com/

Translate this page:

You can translate the content of this page by selecting a language in the select box.

Summary

Dalbergia melanoxylon or commonly known as African Blackwood, Grenadilla, or Mpingo is a flowering plant native to Africa. It is an important timber species used in making musical instruments and furniture. It is a small tree that grows usually 4 ? 15 m in height with grey bark, spiny shoots, pinnately compound leaves that are arranged alternately, and white flowers that form into dense clusters. The fruit is a pod with one or two seeds per pod. D. melanoxylon is relatively slow growing. It is used medicinally to prevent miscarriage and to treat abdominal pain, diarrhoea, gonorrhoea, syphilis, colds, headaches, bronchitis, wounds, joint pain, and inflammation.

Physical Characteristics

Dalbergia_melanoxylon is a deciduous Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone (UK) 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. The plant is not self-fertile. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Synonyms

Amerimnon melanoxylon (Guill. & Perr.) Kuntze

Habitats

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

The roots are said to be anthelmintic and aphrodisiac[ 299 ]. A decoction is used to prevent miscarriage, to treat abdominal pain, diarrhoea, gonorrhoea and syphilis[ 303 ]. The wood smoke is inhaled to treat headaches, colds and bronchitis[ 299 , 303 ]. The stem and root bark is used in traditional medicine to treat diarrhoea in combination with baobab or tamarind fruits[ 299 ]. A bark decoction or bark powder is used to clean wounds[ 299 ]. A leaf decoction is used to relieve pain in the joints[ 299 ]. The leaf sap is taken to treat inflammations in mouth and throat[ 299 ]. Bark extracts have shown antibacterial and antifungal activities, thus supporting the traditional application for cleansing wounds[ 299 ].

Other Uses

Agroforestry Uses: The tree provides good mulch and may improve the soil by nitrogen fixation[ 299 ]. It can be used to avoid soil erosion because of its extensive root system. It is also useful in windbreaks and live fences[ 299 ]. Other Uses The heartwood is purplish black, sometimes darker towards the outside, with light streaks and not always uniform in colour; it is sharply differentiated from the up to 12cm wide band of white or yellowish-white sapwood[ 303 ]. The timber is slightly oily, exceptionally hard and very heavy, brittle and somewhat fissile[ 303 ]. The heartwood is extremely durable and resistant to all forms of biological deterioration[ 303 ]. The sapwood, however, is susceptible to fungal or insect attack[ 303 ]. The dry wood is difficult to saw or plane; it blunts saws and cutters and cannot be nailed or screwed without drilling; it is, however, among the finest of all turnery timbers, cutting exactly and finishing to a brilliantly polished, lustrous surface, dry and cold to the touch[ 303 ]. Other products made from the timber include carvings, turnery and marquetry to produce sculptures, musical instruments, ornaments, inlays, chess pieces, walking sticks, bearings and many other products[ 303 ]. The main industrial use, long supporting an export trade from East Africa and Mozambique, is the manufacture of musical instruments, especially woodwinds. With its high density and fine texture, the wood produces a beautiful musical tone[ 303 ]. It is stable, stands up to metalwork processes, and takes an excellent finish[ 303 ]. The wood is used as a fuel and to make charcoal[ 299 ]. Its calorific value is more than 49,000 kcal/kg. Heat generation is so high that fires of D. Melanoxylon have been reported to melt cooking utensils[ 303 ].

Cultivation details

A plant of low to moderate elevations in the tropics, being found at elevations from sea level to 1,200 metres[ 303 ]. It grows in areas where the mean annual temperature is in the range 18 - 35?c and the mean annual rainfall is 700 - 1,200 mm[ 303 ]. Succeeds in a variety of soils, from loamy sands to clayey Vertisols (black cotton soils)[ 303 ]. This species demands water and light and therefore is common near water and will not regenerate under heavy cover[ 303 ]. When introduced into India and Australia, the plant became naturalized[ 299 ]. In western Australia it behaved as a very aggressive weed and was quickly eradicated[ 299 ]. The species is extremely slow growing. Seven year old trees are only up to 4 metres tall and it takes 70 - 100 years for trees to attain timber size[ 303 , 774 ]. Trees coppice successfully and also produce root suckers[ 299 ]. Trees generally exhibit heavy annual seed production[ 299 ]. Mature trees are fire tolerant[ 303 ]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[ 755 ]. Small growers in Naples, Florida have been successful in growing African blackwood there. Growth habit in Florida yields taller, larger trees, and the rich soil combined with ample nutrients and long growing season yields timber of superior quality at more sustainable rates.

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees, and Woodland Gardening. Our new book to be released soon is Edible Shrubs.

Propagation

Seed extracted from pods germinate readily without pre-treatment[ 303 ]. They should be kept in the shade for 2 weeks after sowing, but can then be placed in full sun[ 299 ]. They germinate 8 - 20 days after sowing, with a germination rate of 50 - 60%[ 299 ]. Although pre-treatment of seeds is not necessary, soaking the seeds in water accelerates germination[ 299 ]. Experimental work in Tanzania suggests that survival and growth are improved by planting 2-year-old stumps that are 14 cm long, comprising 12 cm of root and 2 cm of shoot[ 303 ]. These should be planted in the early or middle part of the rainy season, followed by intensive weeding. Potted seedlings may also be used, but they tend to grow more slowly. When seedlings are raised in pots, frequent root pruning is mandatory[ 303 ]. Delayed pruning leads to seedling shock[ 303 ]. Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[ K ]. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; viability can be maintained for several years in hermetic storage at 3?c with 9 - 12% mc[ 303 ].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Expert comment

Author

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

Readers comment

QR Code

What's this?

This is a QR code (short for Quick Response) which gives fast-track access to our website pages. QR Codes are barcodes that can be read by mobile phone (smartphone) cameras. This QR Code is unique to this page. All plant pages have their own unique code. For more information about QR Codes click here.

1. Copy and print the QR code to a plant label, poster, book, website, magazines, newspaper etc and even t-shirts.

2. Smartphone users scan the QR Code which automatically takes them to the webpage the QR Code came from.

3. Smartphone users quickly have information on a plant directly for the pfaf.org website on their phone.

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at admin@pfaf.org. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Content

PFAF Newsletter

*Email Address

Stay informed about PFAFs progress, challenges and hopes by signing up for our free email ePost. You will receive a range of benefits including:
* Important announcements and news
* Exclusive content not on the website
* Updates on new information & functionality of the website & database

We will not sell or share your email address.
You can unsubscribe at anytime.

All the information contained in these pages is Copyright (C) Plants For A Future, 1996-2012.
Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567,Web Design & Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Some information cannot be used for commercial reasons or be modified (but some can). Please view the copyright link for more information.